The Heart Wants What It Wants

Chapter Thirteen

After a night of very explicit dreams about Jennie, I wake on Monday feeling even more restless and unsettled than if I'd had a night of nightmares. It was like this after we'd broken up too, where I used to dream about her most nights then wake feeling like I'd barely slept at all. Though back then, it was mostly odd unpleasant dreams interspersed with those so sexually explicit I'd wake up on the verge of climax. Now it's mostly just pleasantly erotic.

We had a perfectly nice weekend, even with my emergency shift on Saturday. Sunday morning we went for our hike at Switzer Falls as planned, where I even managed not to fall into a puddle of nostalgia. Then we spent the afternoon doing housework before settling in for a movie Sunday night. An ordinary weekend. With extraordinary circumstances.

When I go to let Buckley out, I find Jennie has beaten me to it. There's a note on the kitchen whiteboard telling me they've gone for a quick walk and the time she expects they'll be back. Enough time for me to have a workout. With no flights on my schedule for the day, I don't have to leave early for work.

Forty minutes later when I'm done in the gym, I can hear Jennie and Buckley out in the yard. I detour to the back door and stare through the glass door panel for a minute, watching them together. Buckie's tongue is flapping out the side of his mouth as he chases Jennie around the yard, though in his case—chase is less chase and more just keeping beside whoever is playing with him.

Even from in here I can tell how much fun he's having. How much fun they're both having. It's going to break Buckley's heart when Jen goes again. And, I admit to myself, it's probably going to crack my heart a little too. I have no doubt she'd agree to meeting up for playdates with Buck, which has the added benefit of me getting to see her as well. Maybe I'll suggest that.

I've just filled the coffee machine when Buckie charges into the house and straight to his water bowl. Jennie follows at a more sedate pace, carrying his leash and a few dog toys. The moment she spots me, her face relaxes into a smile that makes my breath catch. Probably just residual dream libido. The morning huskiness of her pleased, "Hey" tells me it's not residual dream libido at all. It's real libido. Oh shit, this is problematic.

"Morning." I turn slightly away to check the too-slow drip of coffee. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I only took him for a short walk so figured he still needed a bit of playtime to tire him out for a day at home alone."

"Was the walk okay?"

Her eyebrows bounce upward in surprise. "Fine. He was perfect as usual." After a beat, she seems to catch on to what I'm trying to ask, and adds, "I was fine, a little wary but it was okay. Thanks." She walks past to drop the dog stuff in the basket by the front door then does an about-face. "I saw Mrs. Perry in her yard. She said she knew I was back because the piano music had started again. She asked me to keep up with the Beethoven and also play more Mendelssohn please and thank you."

"Ah, sounds about right. I spent months after you'd gone explaining what happened and apologizing that I couldn't play piano."

She pats my cheek. "Guess I have a lot of pianoing to make up then. Right. I'm going to take a shower."

"You're not having breakfast?"

Jennie pauses by the fridge. "I'll eat once we're finished at the courthouse."

"Nerves?" She's going to file the paperwork for her temporary restraining order before the emergency one expires in a few days.

A quick smile. "No. We're hoping to get to the court right as they're opening up at eight, which means I had to bribe Rosie posie with the promise of meeting a wonderful dog and then brunch. Both things combined just outweigh her dislike of getting anywhere before ten a.m."